PIP claim. Is this a standard letter?

poppy123456

Mollylegs said:

 I thought UC was just a standard amount, the same for everyone who receives it.

No, not at all. Your maximum entitlement will depend on your circumstances. UC is one payment made up of many different elements. For example, housing element, standard element, child element, LCWRA element and many more.

Once you've had your work capability assessment, if you're then found to have LCWRA you will receive and extra £354.28/month from the 4th month after you first reported your health condition, provided you sent a fit note within 7 days of that and continued to send them without any gaps until a decision is made on your claim.

Information here regarding UC with a health condition. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-if-you-have-a-disability-or-health-condition-quick-guide/universal-credit-if-you-have-a-disability-or-health-condition

Mollylegs

Hi @poppy123456 I found your last message a bit confusing(my stupidity) I have been receiving UC since September. The house I live in at the moment is a bought house, my husband is paying the mortgage for now. I have never had benefits for a really really long time before that. My husband has supported us as a family so I have only had UC since September. I have no clue if I'm entitled to anymore or for that matter any less money due to now receiving PIP. I'm sorry if I'm not making sense, I'm confusing myself!! Thank you for answering my questions regards Tina.

janer1967

You will be emotional it's hard to come to terms with and you will have mixed emotions it's like dealing with a bereavement and your emotions will change in different stages 

Take time to do things that are important to you and to help rebuild your confidence .
Sorting your finances will be a good start . Also get legal advice about what your rights are regarding the separation if your ex is responsible for paying towards your child's care 

poppy123456

Mollylegs said:

Hi @poppy123456 I found your last message a bit confusing(my stupidity) I have been receiving UC since September. The house I live in at the moment is a bought house, my husband is paying the mortgage for now.

No worries, benefits are very confusing. As you own your home then you won't be able to claim for help with and rent. Help with mortgage interest can be claimed after 9 months on UC providing you have no earnings. (i think that's changing at some point but can't remember when) however, it's only a loan which will need to be repaid back. https://www.gov.uk/support-for-mortgage-interest/eligibility

Your PIP will not affect your UC at all. As it's all so confusing once you've had a decision on your work capability assessment if you need further advice please come back and ask, i'm sure someone will advise you further.

Mollylegs

Hi @poppy123456, really sorry but I have one more question, when will i receive a work capability assesment? I don't think I have been asked about it so far, thank you

poppy123456

Mollylegs said:

Hi @poppy123456, really sorry but I have one more question, when will i receive a work capability assesment? I don't think I have been asked about it so far, thank you

First you need to be referred and then you'll receive a work capability assessment form (UC50) to fill in and return with all your supporting evidence. Have you received one of those yet?

Once that's returned it could be several months. Most people have assessments which can be either by telephone, phone call or video call. Similar to PIP but with different criteria.

Mollylegs

Oh no!!! I haven't received one as of yet but just the thought of going through the same kind of forms again makes me feel sick. The whole process was just awful and nerve wracking, I genuinely don't think I could do it all again. 

poppy123456

I totally agree it's very annoying and causes a lot of anxiety but it would be worth going through it because if you're found to have LCWRA then you'll receive extra money from the 4th month of your claim.

The other problem is that you're classed as a job seeker until a decision on your WCA says otherwise. Your work commiments maybe turned off or reduced at the moment but if you didn't go through the work capability assessment then your work commiments could change to include attending appointments. (unless you're responsible for a child under 1) or you're a carer and receiving either carers allowance or carers element of UC.

Mollylegs

Crikey @poppy123456 Does it involve having to get another doctors letter and having another lengthy phone call. Do you also mean it takes 4 months from sending in these new forms that I will receive or 4 months since the whole PIP thing started? 

durhamjaide2001

Mollylegs said:

Crikey @poppy123456 Does it involve having to get another doctors letter and having another lengthy phone call. Do you also mean it takes 4 months from sending in these new forms that I will receive or 4 months since the whole PIP thing started? 

My fingers are crossed that you don't have to go through this again.

poppy123456

Mollylegs said:

Crikey @poppy123456 Does it involve having to get another doctors letter and having another lengthy phone call. Do you also mean it takes 4 months from sending in these new forms that I will receive or 4 months since the whole PIP thing started? 

The assessment is similar to PIP and you’ll be asked questions on how your health condition affects your daily life. 

If found to have LCWRA then the extra money is paid from the 4th month after you reported your health condition. 

As you haven’t yet been referred, (this should have happened on day 29 after you reported your health condition) put a message onto your journal and ask them to refer you for the work capability assessment. When you’re referred you’ll receive a letter onto your journal and shortly after that you’ll receive the forms in the post. Please have a read of the link I posted above when you have some time, no rush. 

Mollylegs

Hello anybody out there, I am just wondering how long I will wait for my PIP award. I received a text last Thursday the 5th of January so I'm wondering how long after my text until I receive my my letter in writing saying how much I will be entitled too. I didn't know anything at all about the LCWRA so I mentioned this to the lady who deals with my UC, she told me that I had already filled in the forms for this but I deffo do not remember filling anything else in. I wonder what I can do when I don't actually know if I filled out these forms or not. When my hubby first left I couldn't sleep at all or think straight so I'm worried about the answers I may have put down as I genuinely do not remember.

poppy123456

Mollylegs said:

Hello anybody out there, I am just wondering how long I will wait for my PIP award. I received a text last Thursday the 5th of January so I'm wondering how long after my text until I receive my my letter in writing saying how much I will be entitled too. I didn't know anything at all about the LCWRA so I mentioned this to the lady who deals with my UC, she told me that I had already filled in the forms for this but I deffo do not remember filling anything else in. I wonder what I can do when I don't actually know if I filled out these forms or not. When my hubby first left I couldn't sleep at all or think straight so I'm worried about the answers I may have put down as I genuinely do not remember.

It can take a couple of weeks to receive the decision letter. Any money owed will usually be paid into your bank before the decision letter is received. Money takes 3-5 working days to be paid into your bank from the date it was sent.

For the work capability assessment form (UC50) you can see this here, it may jog your memory to filling it out. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/985609/uc50-interactive.pdf

If you still don't remember you can look back onto your journal to see if there's a referral letter on there. The letter is known as UCD35.

Mollylegs

Hi @poppy123456 I'm sure I would have remembered filling this in but the lady on the phone said today that it was already through and now waiting for a phone call assesment, I genuinely do not know, thanks for replying poppy.

L_Volunteer

It is ok not to know @Mollylegs. These things are confusing with many unknowns! 

Please don't hesitate to let us know if there's anything else we can do to support you. We are all here for you and listening to you 

headachey

@Mollylegs hello, I just wanted to say, I applied for pip and workability assessment roughly same time (in the summer). I had my pip assessment late Nov and it last two hours, I don't remember it well except how long it took and that it was emotionally hard. Two days later pip rang me back for more questions, another hour, also unfun. I then was called for a face2face workable assessment late Dec, only an hour-ish long, the lady was nice and understanding and while it was hard it wasn't half as bad as the pip assessment had been. Two days later I found out I was classed as LCWRA for UC and no longer have to worry about looking for work, dealing with hellish phone calls every other week or fears of sanctions. I also get extra £350 a month ontop of the £310 I'd get for myself on UC anyway. My pip assessment was audited so only recently sent to DWP for decision maker to decide, waiting sucks but hopefully it'll be a positive outcome. The reason I share all this is cos the assessments for pip and workability are so not fun, but they're means to an end that will enable a bit for financial support and less stress (especially the reduced stress of looking for work while trying to heal from trauma and ailments).

Good luck to you. You're not alone here.